The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives was successful in getting an administrative stay in VanDerStok v. Garland from the Supreme Court. Judge Reed O’Connor had granted a nationwide injunction against the implementation of the ATF’s frame or receiver rule. He had determined it was in “excess of their statutory jurisdiction”.
As might be expected, ATF and the Department of Justice appealed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals which refused to grant a stay of Judge O’Connor’s order. The 5th Circuit said the ATF had not “demonstrated a strong likelihood of success on the merits, nor irreparable harm in the absence of a stay.” The 5th Circuit still will be hearing ATF’s appeal of Judge O’Connor’s final order.
Yesterday, the ATF and DOJ filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court to receive a stay while the case is under appeal. This would mean the Final Rule would still remain in effect while it was being appealed.
UPON CONSIDERATION of the application of counsel for the applicants,
IT IS ORDERED that the June 30, 2023 order and July 5, 2023 final judgment of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, case No. 4:22-cv-691, are hereby administratively stayed until 5 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, August 4, 2023. It is further ordered that any response to the application be filed on or before Wednesday, August 2, 2023, by 5 p.m. (EDT)
Well, crap!
I am sure the attorneys for the Firearms Policy Coalition as well as DOJ are working hard to craft their responses as I write.
UPDATE: Attorney and law professor Mark Smith of The Four Boxes Diner has an explanation of what happened yesterday. The administrative stay was requested by the Solicitor General and the SCOTUS usually grants these without question. Bottom line is that we shouldn’t panic.
I learned this morning from his wife that Dr. Bill Chachkes had passed away yesterday. He had been in ill health for a number of years.
Bill was a gun rights advocate, a podcaster, a retired teacher from the NYC schools, a sports journalist, and a Blackhawk helicopter pilot for the Army’s Special Operations Command. His podcast, Firearms Chat, was part of the Self Defense Radio Network. You can hear how he and the late Greg Hutton started their podcast here.
I first met Bill at the 2018 SHOT Show. He had reserved a room to record podcast episodes. I was invited to join Bill and Greg for an interview on Firearms Chat. We talked about a lot of things and, to be honest, I can’t remember exactly what. I do know that the Complementary Spouse and I saw him again many times that week. He was having some issues with his leg due to diabetes and she took a look at it for him.
I next met Bill along with his wife Annrose at AMM-Con and the 2019 Gun Rights Policy Conference held in Phoenix. I had been a guest on his show a couple of times by then. Being a guest on his show was always a fun thing.
You may remember the issues that I had with Google and their Blogger platform in 2019. When I switched to my own domain and WordPress, it was thanks to Bill that I was hooked up with Patriot Hosting. He introduced me to Kyle and the rest is history. I will be forever grateful that he stepped up and made that introduction.
Bill was a mensch to use a Yiddish word in honor of his Jewish heritage. He was a man of honor and integrity, he was a patriot both in and out of uniform, and he stood up for what was right and opposed that which was wrong.
I am proud to be able to have called him a friend and I shall miss him.
Note: I don’t know whether there will be a memorial service or funeral. If I hear anything, I will post it as an update here.
My friend Rick Ector and his cadre of volunteer instructors will again be holding his 12th annual shooting class for the women of Detroit this coming weekend (July 29th and 30th). The goal is to introduce and train 1,500 women to firearms.
Rick talks about the event in this interview with CBS News Detroit.
The ladies FREE shooting event will be held on Saturday, July 29, 2023, and Sunday, July 30, 2023, at both the Top Gun Shooting Sports (22050 Pennsylvania Road in Taylor, Michigan) and Recoil Firearms (22509 Ecorse Road in Taylor, Michigan).
There will be no charge for the Firearm Instructor’s safety briefing, the usage of a firearm, ammunition, and range time. Participation is 100 percent free for all attendees. No prior firearms training or experience is required of the women who desire to take advantage of the lesson. Further, experienced women merely desiring to improve their marksmanship skills are also welcome to attend.
If you are in the metro Detroit area and wish to participate, you can register for the event here. I have many friends who will be there as instructors and I know they get as much out of this event as the students.
The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1637 to promote and regulate gunmaking. Unlike many of the old guilds and livery companies, it still performs that role through its management of The Proof House which is also known as the London Proof House.
According to its history, King Charles I bestowed the Royal Charter upon the Company. There had been an argument going back to the 1300s over which guild or company should govern gunmaking. The Blacksmiths and the Armourers each thought they should be the ones in charge. A royal commission was established and its recommendation was that an independent company be given the charter.
The Charter defined the role that the Gunmakers still play today. It created a proof mark, a stamp of the letters ‘GP’ surmounted by a crown. The mark is stamped on guns that meet the statutory safety requirements. Only the Company can bestow it, and it is illegal to sell a gun without a recognised proof mark. To administer proof, the Company was given broad powers of “search, gage, proof, trial and marking of all manner of hand guns in London or … imported from foreign parts”. The power to search (with a constable) for unproved guns and seize them is still vested in the Company today.
The Proof House along with the Birmingham Proof House has the responsibility to proof barrels, to improve gun safety, and to certify de-activation of certain firearms. Proofing a barrel involves firing a proof cartridge through it that exceeds the maximum theoretical service pressure by anywhere from 25% to 50%. This is done remotely. After a reinspection of the barrel and making sure its measurements are still within spec, then it has the proof mark affixed.
From Worshipful Company of Gunmakers
The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers also certifies those that through training or apprenticeship can be called Gunmakers. The Gunmakers’ Certification requires a minimum of four years work in a specific gunmaking craft such as barrel making, engraving, or stockmaker. The candidate submits a portfolio of his or her work along with other evidence to a committee of Master Gunmakers for evaluation. If they pass, they are awarded the Certification. The Company also recognizes Master Gunmakers who usually have 20 or more years in the trade. Like the apprentices, they submit a portfolio. If they pass, they are deemed Master Gunmakers and can affix the title “MAsR.G” after their names. For example, it would be Mr. John Bull, MAsR.G.
I mentioned guilds and livery companies earlier. While many no longer serve to govern a trade, they still have a legal role in the governance of the City of London. They elect the Sheriffs, the Bridgemasters, and Ale Conners of the City of London and endorse the election of the Mayor of the City of London. As an aside, the term “livery” comes from the clothing and regalia adopted by the guilds and companies to distinguish themselves in times gone by.
The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers ranks number 73 in precedence. The oldest is the Worshipful Company of Mercers (general merchants) whose charter dates to 1394. Gunmakers rank ahead of lawyers, insurers, lightmongers, and tax advisors in terms of age and precedence. The responsibility for approving new livery companies is that of the Court of Alderman who act like an upper chamber in the legislative administration of the City of London. The primary role for most livery companies now is charity and education. Many also have affiliations with British military units. The Gunmakers, for example, are affiliated with the Light Dragoons.
I stumbled across a link to the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers from a posting on the AfricaHunting.com forum. There had been a discussion of what gun shops and gunmakers to visit while in London.
One last note: the Gunmakers have been in their present location on Commercial Road in Aldgate, London since 1675. They were one of the few guilds or livery companies to have been located outside the old walls of the City of London but this was presumably done for safety reasons back in the day.
I received an email and video today from the Dallas Safari Club stating that their 2025 through 2029 conventions will be held in Atlanta, Georgia. The reason is that the City of Dallas will be doing a multi-year tear-down and rebuild of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
From Corey Mason, CEO of DSC and the DSC Foundation:
As you heard in the video, DSC is moving our annual Convention to Atlanta, GA, beginning in 2025. We are extremely confident that the Georgia World Congress Center will be the premier site to deliver successful DSC Conventions to come!
Dates for the DSC Conventions in Atlanta will not change from those previously published, and we are certain you will continue to enjoy the southern hospitality, which has long been a hallmark of the DSC Convention.
In addition to the annual Conventions to be held in Atlanta from 2025-2029, DSC is excited to announce that in 2025 we will begin hosting a second convention in Dallas each summer. Aligned with the DSC Foundation Gala, this Expo will feature many of our valued Exhibitor Partners, include evening events, and culminate with the annual DSC Foundation Gala on Saturday night.
While Dallas will always be home and we are very excited about the future of the new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, DSC looks forward to the opportunity to take the greatest hunting and conservation show on the road for a few years. We cannot wait to see you in Dallas January 11-14, 2024, and encourage you to please make plans to join us in Atlanta beginning in 2025!
I know many Texans are upset at this move but I cannot say the same. I live about a 3.5 hour drive from Atlanta and am excited to be able to drive to the DSC Convention. Just as with SCI’s move of their convention to Nashville, I think it will expose DSC to a lot more people which is a good thing.
Having attended both DSC and SCI Conventions, they are similar yet different. This is not a slam at the SCI Convention but the Dallas Safari Club Convention seemed more open and friendly. I know that there were a lot more kids there when I attended it in Dallas in 2022. Kids under 16 accompanied by adult are free and day tickets for adults are much less expensive than SCI.
I saw a tweet today from KCAL-TV that had me shaking my head. KCAL-TV is the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, California. It was talking about a weapon recovered at the scene of a shooting.
Michael Bane has spoken in the past many times about a program that he and NSSF put on for journalists. It was to teach them the basics of firearms. I think it may be past time to bring it back.
On the other hand, seeing so-called journalists making stupid comments like this about firearms does illustrate my point about their naivete’ and stupidity. Unfortunately, too many of their listeners think they know of what they speak and believe them.
The comments point out that this meme is too civil. Beyond saying you are “brainwashed”, you would be accused of having a small penis, are a “bigoted Republican who supports child murder”, are a tool of the NRA, etc.
I admit to being divided on the topic. Looking at my gun collection I have equal numbers of rifles in both calibers. Those in .30-06 are all US military rifles (1903, 1917, and M1 Garand) while the rifles in .308 are a couple of hunting rifles as well as a FAL assembled from a parts kit. I did have a couple of .30-06 hunting rifles but they have been converted into other calibers (9.3×62 and .338-06).
Vortex Optics through their Vortex Nation Podcast did a video comparing the two rounds including testing them on blocks of ballistic gel.
I do have some criticisms of the comparisons. For example, when comparing rounds for penetration they should have used the same grain weight bullets. In their first penetration tests they compared a 180 grain .30-06 to a 150 grain .308. To me, this is an invalid comparison given the 30 grain weight difference.
With regard to accessibility, 96 factory loadings in .308 versus 94 factory loadings in .30-06 is a statistical tie in my book. One loading not mentioned was the Remington Accelerator round in .30-06 which used a plastic sabot to hold a 55 grain bullet. Turns out Remington made these in .30-06, .308, and .30-30. While not currently being manufactured in factory ammo, hand reloaders can still make these cartridges. E. Arthur Brown Company offers the plastic sabots along with a seater die to allow you to load your own. While still kind of a gimmick given their accuracy, there was a thought they could penetrate Level IV body armor. According to this test, it didn’t despite speeds of 3800+ ft/sec.
In the end, there really is so little real difference between the two that you can’t go wrong with either cartridge. I would feel comfortable using them on anything from deer to moose to most African plains game.
I really don’t have much sympathy for protesters who glue their hands to the pavement, block traffic, splash paint on invaluable pieces or art, and the like. I do feel for the public safety workers who have to deal with their nonsense.
Thus, when I saw the video below, I felt bad for the firemen having to chisel the payment from around the protesters’ hands. As for the eco-fanatics, they were lucky the firemen where being so careful. There were times in the past century when German officials might not have been so kind.
Everytown wants you to know where gun dealers are in your neighbor. They especially want you (and thieves) to know the home addresses of dealers. They even have an interactive map to assist you in this.
Liberty Doll has done an excellent expose’ of the Everytown efforts in a YouTube video published today.
The only class of those with Federal Firearm Licenses not included are those of us with Curios & Relics Licenses. This is because they say we “are not engaged in sales and thus are not included in the analysis in this report.” How nice of them to not put targets on our backs.
I would encourage you to share Liberty Doll’s YouTube with your friends. As a reminder, some newspapers in the past have published maps and databases containing the name and address of everyone in a state with a CCW. In places where there is registration of either owners such as Illinois or firearms such as with handguns in New York, what is to say that Everytown won’t publish these names under the heading “do you know your neighbor owns a gun!”.
This effort of Everytown reminds me of the “hate group” (sic) map published by the Southern Poverty Law Center which has led some disturbed individuals to attack these groups. Both should be condemned for what they are: an incitement to violence and theft.
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